{"id":2625,"date":"2023-04-13T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=2625"},"modified":"2023-04-13T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T17:00:00","slug":"how-smoothie-company-clean-energy-became-one-of-most-active-brands-in-nil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/how-smoothie-company-clean-energy-became-one-of-most-active-brands-in-nil\/","title":{"rendered":"How smoothie company Clean Energy became one of most active brands in NIL"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ted Volz<\/strong> founded Clean Energy<\/a><\/strong>, he never imagined his company would be one of the most active brands in the world of name, image and likeness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Volz launched Clean Energy because he was not pleased with the sports nutrition offerings on the market that were loaded with sugar and lab-created ingredients. His smoothie, which comes in squeezable applesauce-like pouches, quickly built a massive following with runners and cyclists. In fact, Runner\u2019s World<\/em> recognized the organic smoothie\u2019s mix of fruits, vegetables and flax seed as one of the best fuels to power a run.<\/p>\n

Since launching in September 2021, Clean Energy has grown to where it can now be found in athletic departments across the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences. The Green Bay Packers purchased cases of the product for the second season in a row. Additionally, the smoothies were stocked in the locker rooms at the 2022 Women\u2019s Final Four.<\/p>\n

All of that has been great for Clean Energy\u2019s business. But that\u2019s nothing compared to the brand awareness that\u2019s been created by the company\u2019s more than 50 NIL deals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NIL helps tell Clean Energy\u2019s story<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Volz is the first to acknowledge Clean Energy doesn\u2019t have the same name recognition as some of the major players in the crowded sports nutrition industry. He jokes that he\u2019s the founder, the janitor, the chief salesperson and the HR department for Clean Energy. He employs a contract manufacturer and 3PL company to produce and ship the product to customers worldwide.<\/p>\n

And like any emerging business, Volz looked for a unique way to get Clean Energy\u2019s name out there, tell the company\u2019s story and help people understand the product and the brand.<\/p>\n

Enter NIL.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a natural fit to get into the NIL space and try to work with athletes from a promotional perspective,\u201d Volz said. \u201cWe like to think the product is helpful to athletes from a short-term and a long-term perspective. We think the product is the best thing out there for student-athletes, professional athletes and recreational athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a college football fan. I\u2019m a college athletics fan. I had some familiarity with the space. You could see the reach and impact that college athletes have with NIL. So, I wanted to leverage that for their exposure, their reach and also get the brand name out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volz also said it\u2019s important that Clean Energy agrees to NIL partnerships with student-athletes that believe in the product. It\u2019s why he sends out free smoothies to players across the country to see if they \u201ccan be an authentic ambassador for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the starting point for an athlete or anybody that we work with,\u201d Volz said. \u201cWe want people that can promote the product genuinely. From there, it\u2019s been anything from, \u2018We\u2019ll send you more free product if you like it and want to promote it. Or we\u2019ll pay you for promotion.\u2019 That\u2019ll be for the athletes that love Clean Energy and have a bigger following. We\u2019ve done both \u2013 free product arrangements and pay for promotional support on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut all of this starts with the gating questions of, \u2018Do you like the product? And can you genuinely support it and promote it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the return on investment from NIL deals?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The list of student-athletes Clean Energy has partnered with is all over the country, touches almost every NCAA sport and taps into big-name programs all the way to the D-III level.<\/p>\n

The first NIL deal Clean Energy executed was with University of Missouri-Kansas City<\/strong> volleyball player Odyssey Warren<\/a><\/strong>, its second was with a Hawaii<\/a><\/strong> tennis player Cody Castro<\/strong> and one of its most high-profile is with Duke<\/a> All-America <\/strong>track star Emily Cole<\/a><\/strong>. Cole\u2019s post<\/a> promoting the smoothie has been liked more than 7,800 times and has hundreds of comments. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter every run, I love to get quick, high-quality nutrition in, and Clean Energy helps me do exactly that,\u201d Cole said. \u201cI love to pop their easily portable packs into my bag for a delicious fruit smoothie post run or lift, or even between classes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clean Energy also signed<\/a> deals with South Carolina<\/a><\/strong> high jumper\u00a0Rachel Glenn<\/a><\/strong>, tennis player\u00a0Sarah Hamner<\/strong>\u00a0and soccer forward\u00a0Corinna Zullo<\/a><\/strong> to agreements through an agreement that was facilitated by Everett Sports Marketing<\/strong>. Glenn won the national high jump title in 2021, while Zullo started in 17 games this past fall with two goals and five assists. Hamner was the SEC Freshman of the Year last season.<\/p>\n

Plus, Notre Dame<\/a><\/strong> star receiver Tobias Merriweather<\/a><\/strong> signed a deal with Clean Energy nearly a year ago. He continues to promote the product to this day.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s no one face for Clean Energy on social media or anywhere,\u201d Volz said. \u201cWe\u2019re for all athletes. We\u2019re for all sports and for all genders and demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volz said it\u2019s hard to quantify the holistic return on investment the deals have created. But he\u2019s confident the results are nothing but positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we measured it strictly with a transactional digital marketing lens of how much revenue the posts bring in, then it\u2019s not a good investment,\u201d Volz said. \u201cThe posts, social media support and NIL deals are intended, from our perspective, to be a brand-building and brand awareness tool. From an old-school digital marketing transactional view, it\u2019s not the return on investment that we\u2019d recommend. Instead of being transactional, we want more people to know about Clean Energy, so they can feel comfortable with it, learn about it, do their own research and decide if clean-label sports nutrition is the right thing for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that in mind, it\u2019s been a really good ad spend for us. It\u2019s the reason why we\u2019re talking. It\u2019s the reason why people are learning about Clean Energy. NIL deals have been a really great return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Clean Energy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Currently, Clean Energy has only one flavor, but Volz said the company is working hard at developing multiple options. Regardless of what he comes up with, the focus is on doing things the right way from a sports nutrition standpoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cClean-label sports nutrition is central to who we are, what we do,\u201d Volz said. \u201cThe initial goal is to roll out a bunch of new flavors. We have only one flavor and have been thrilled with the reaction to just having one flavor thus far. That\u2019s ultimately going to be a limiter if we don\u2019t expand flavors. Expanding flavor options is the near-term plan. Again, clean label is central to anything that we roll out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another thing he\u2019s certain of is that Clean Energy is not about to abandon its pursuits in the NIL space. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to be involved in everything from gymnastics to cheerleading, to volleyball, to track and field, tennis, softball and soccer \u2013 all of them \u2013 including football and basketball,\u201d Volz said. \u201cWe will continue to be involved in the NIL space in the short term. And I expect in the long term as well. NIL helps us present an authentic story about who we are. And if it helps us help student-athletes along the way, then it\u2019s a win for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post How smoothie company Clean Energy became one of most active brands in NIL<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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